Chapter 9: Language Development Flashcards
What are the 5 basic components that underlie all languages?
phonology morphology semantics syntax pragmatics
What is phonology?
knowledge of sounds used in a given language
- learning how to detect, discriminate and produce speech sounds
- humans are capable of generating many more sounds than any one language uses
- languages have different phonologies
What is morphology?
understanding the ways that sounds can be combined to form words
- infants learn that sounds can be combined in meaningful ways
- taking consonants and vowels, and sticking the sounds together
What is semantics?
meaning or content of words and sentences
- growing vocabulary signals an increase in semantic knowledge
What is syntax?
knowledge of the structure of sentences
- rules by which words are to be combined to form sentences
What is pragmatics?
understanding how to use language to communicate effectively
ie. speaking differently with adults, peers, and children
ie. intonation at the end of a sentence when asking a question
Prelinguistic Communication
When does phonological development begin?
may begin before birth
- infants recognize familiar sounds (mother’s voice) before birth
What are the 3 types of prelinguistic communication?
crying, cooing, babbling
What is cooing?
making deliberate vowel sounds (begins 2-3 months of age)
What is babbling?
repeating strings of consonants and vowels (morphology)
- begins around 6 months
- universal but becomes more similar to native language over time
- socially interactive process
What is linguistic turn-taking?
taking turns talking
What are holophrases?
one-word expressions to express complete thoughts
words that the infant hears often, and therefore learns—combination of morphology
ie. milk, juice, up
What is receptive language?
what the toddler can understand
What is productive language?
what the toddler can produce or say themselves
What is the relationship between receptive language and productive language?
receptive language is much far advanced than productive language in infants (understand way more than they can say)
has to do with dexterity of their tongues (mouth isn’t developed enough to produce sounds that require the tongue and lips)
What is fast mapping?
process of quickly acquiring and retaining a word after hearing it applied a few times, and gets better with age
What is naming explosion or vocabulary spurt?
period of rapid vocabulary learning between 16 and 24 months
- not universal; speed of acquisition may be faster or slower for certain children
What is telegraphic speech?
toddler speech is like a telegram, child’s speech only includes a few essential words
Early Childhood (Age 2-5) Language Advances
Describe vocabulary.
- learn a new word every 1-2 hrs
- continue to use fast mapping
- learn best in interactive contexts—learn way more words by interacting with people than by watching television, taking turns, scaffolding
Early Childhood (Age 2-5) Language Advances
Describe syntax.
- learn to combine words into sentences in sophisticated ways
- parental conversation and support for language (ie. asking questions) is linked with faster and more correct language use
ie. learning plurals, tenses
Early Childhood (Age 2-5) Language Advances
What developmental functions are associated with private speech?
- allows toddler to scaffold themselves (walking themselves through the process of something they are doing)
- fosters new ideas
- guides their behaviours
Early Childhood (Age 2-5) Language Advances
What is private speech?
self-talk with no apparent intent to communicate with others (talking out loud to yourself)
Early Childhood (Age 2-5) Language Advances
What is self-regulation?
ability to control one’s impulses and appropriately direct one’s behavior
School-Age Children and Adolescents Language Advances
Describe the advances in vocabulary.
- already have a good handle on language acquisition
vocabulary expansion and greater understanding of meanings of words
- by the end of elementary school, their vocabulary has expanded 4x from when they entered school
- by the end of high school, their vocabulary has expanded 6-8x
What is infant-direct speech (“parentese”)?
type of speech that uses repetition, short words and sentences, high and varied pitch, and long pauses
- often thought of as ‘baby talk’
Why do infants prefer infant-direct speech (“parentese”)?
gives them the opportunity to learn the basic rules of the language
What are the cross-cultural patterns of infant-direct speech (“parentese”)?
- see it across cultures, but different patterns in different cultures
- Asian cultures stress interpersonal harmony, and collectivism culture approach—first words for toddlers tend to be verbs and social words (getting along and interacting with other people)
- Western cultures are more likely to have infants and toddlers who learn nouns first
How does poverty influence language development and interactions?
- less developed language skills
- less exposure to speech
- lower quality parent-child interactions (more likely to hear verbal directives—told what to do,
parents in high SES homes are more likely to interact, have conservations, and ask questions) - increased household instability and disorder (move houses more often, have many caregivers that come and go, divorce is more common)
What is simultaneous bilingualism?
exposure to two languages from birth
build distinct language systems (learn early on, and are able to separate the morphology and phonology of the different languages)
How is bilingualism associated with many cognitive skills?
simultaneous bilingual speakers will score higher on memory, selective attention, and analytical reasoning tests, have better cognitive flexibility, and executive function when they get into school
What is immersion?
foreign-language-speaking children are placed into english-speaking classes
Why can immersion be problematic?
requires them to not only learn English, but also course content at the same time
What is Dual Language Learning (Two-Way Immersion)?
English-speaking and non-English-speaking students learn together in both languages and both languages are valued equally
What are the benefits of Dual Language Learning (Two-Way Immersion)?
- bilingualism
- strengthens identity and self-esteem (doing better in school because they are learning some of the content in their language) of non-English-speaking students
